Thorns of Chaos: Mark of the Guardian
by Ryan the Game Master
Summary: Knuckles the Echidna is the last of his kind. This is why.


**Hi. There are two stories you might want to read before/after this one: Black Petals and Thorns of Chaos. This tale ties into those. If you already have, thank you for your continued interest in my writing.**

 **All characters are owned by Service Games (SEGA).**

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Once upon a time, there was an island, floating high above the clouds without a care. This was Angel Island, home to the remnants of the Knuckles clan. This band of Mobian echidnas was the last of their kind after the tragic events that led to their decimation at the hands of Perfect Chaos. From that point on, they vowed to protect their new home at all costs, lest they be embroiled in another meaningless war. Believe it or not, the Master Emerald's protection in particular was not an immediate priority to begin with – though it was important – until an elder clansman, quickly gaining a reputation for soothsaying, had a dream.

 _"One day, an evil man will invade Angel Island and take the mighty stone… In our darkest hour, a spiky savior will come to take back our treasure and save the world…"_

This shook the remnants to their core, and from then on, the protection of the Master Emerald took an utmost precedence, in order to prevent the soothsayer's dream from coming to pass. Over the centuries, they constructed an elaborate shrine for the gem within the very place the elder had that very vision: Hidden Palace Zone. This was also done because the energy of the gem resonated extremely well with the area as a whole. This also applied to the seven gems that accompanied the controller - which they had begun to call Chaos Emeralds to remind them of the brazen hubris that got them where they were – and astoundingly, when placed with the Master Emerald, they morphed, becoming larger in size and exuding even more power than before!

If there were any doubts about the importance of the Emeralds as a whole, this discovery dispelled them. The Knuckles Clan remnants built numerous passageways to Hidden Palace in order to ensure secrecy. As time went on, it was deemed inefficient to cloister the majority of the clan nearby the zone, as it left the island unchecked. So, the elders chose to begin assigning guardians to watch over the gems, while the rest of the clan protected Angel Island itself.

Choosing the first guardian was not a simple task. There were many who wanted the position, whether out of a sense of duty or reverence. In the end, it came down to strength, fortitude and responsibility. Out of the candidates, the Master Emerald itself chose two: a young warrior and his beloved, a stoic scholar. The couple was well loved within the clan for how their differing personalities complimented each other (in spite of the occasional clash) and how they were so very much in love with one another. The elders saw this as a sign. Hate and anger brought peril upon the clan, but love and happiness would keep it together. So, there and then, it was decreed that the role of guardian would be shared between two clan heads, after a rigorous and dangerous test was passed. This decision served a secondary purpose of keeping the clan's bloodline going.

This went on for years and years. Eventually, the role of guardians - and therefore, clan heads – was due to pass on to Shade, a disciplined Echidna woman known for her combat skills, a knack with technology, and for being a somewhat inflexible realist. Her father and mother, the current guardians, had groomed her to be the next leader from an early age, but it was a role she had sought of her own volition even before they had proposed it to her. She was fascinated by the legends of old and felt it was up to her to do right by them. She took to her studies in earnest, learning the ways of her people and training herself to tune her ki to match Chaos energy.

While Shade grew to be a prodigy, she was far from perfect. Her blunt nature was rather off putting, and she had a tendency to go to extremes to make up for wrongs she believed herself to be responsible for. While these faults hardly deemed her unfit for guardianship, the one problem she had in that regard was the requirement of a partner. This irked her quite a bit, as there were few men within the clan that she considered worthy enough to be by her side. It got to the point that she began considering marrying outside of the clan.

Now, Shade knew that if she had shared her thoughts with her family, she would have been fiercely rebuked from all sides, as venturing outside the island was considered extremely taboo. Unbeknownst to her, though, a situation was brewing that would render her concerns moot. A situation no one could have expected. An unruly monkey wrench in the machine of fate. Its name…was Knuckles.

The youngest of Shade's three siblings, Knuckles was named after the clan itself. The clan elder had said that his birth – which was highly unexpected and unplanned – carried with it a grand destiny for the clan, hence the name. As the boy grew up with this knowledge, he knew that he was bound to accomplish great things and constantly trained his body for whatever his future held. Knuckles wanted to be great, no, he wanted to be the greatest! So, when he asked that he be named guardian (what better position suited someone as awesome as him?), the rejection was hard to swallow. Shade was the oldest, therefore, she was the one who would undergo the Test of Guardianship when she had finally found a suitable mate.

He couldn't accept this. As much as he loved and admired his big sister, Shade wasn't the one with the grand destiny, he was. HE was supposed to be the awesome one! So, Knuckles trained harder than ever, constantly trying to make himself strong enough to defeat Shade in combat. Every time he tried, however, he was defeated by his sister's superior skills and tactics. This didn't deter him, however. Every loss only made the stubborn boy train harder and harder. Shade took her brother's antics in stride at first, but by the time he was 6, after 1,994 tries, she got fed up and told him that he was NOT going to be a guardian. She had her role to embrace, he had his, and there was no fighting it.

Knuckles, however, would not listen. As far as he was concerned, Shade was being selfish, and not thinking of the clan. SHE didn't have the grand destiny prophesized to her. SHE wasn't named after the clan! HE was. If he wasn't meant to be guardian, what else was there?! No, he had to lead the clan as guardian of the Master Emerald, and if his sister wouldn't give him the title fairly, he'd just have to take it. His foolish mind made up, he did the unthinkable…

He attempted the Test of Guardianship on his own. Not only that, he failed miserably, disgracing himself and his family. The resultant scolding was humiliating for Knuckles, but he refused to quit. Brazenly, he attempted to force his will upon the Master Emerald itself, demanding the power to be a guardian. Shade tried to stop him, but it was too late. The Master Emerald reacted, and power was indeed invoked. It was not Knuckles' will that was enacted, but Chaos'. The God of Destruction, while still sealed, acted through the stone, unleashing energy that struck every echidna with a mortal wound. No one on the island was spared, no one except Knuckles, who was protected by Shade.

When it was all over, the boy could feel the death around him. Everyone was gone, and all because of his foolishness. In desperate anguish, he implored the Emerald to undo what had been done. He begged, pleaded, implored, raged at the gem, but nothing happened. When Knuckles had all but lost hope, his sister Shade, still clinging to life, told him of a ritual that would enable his mistake to be corrected. Not asking questions, he followed her directions to the letter.

Had he inquired further, he would not have performed the ritual, as it required a sacrifice. As such, however, Shade's fading life was used, and the Mark of the Guardian was forcibly put upon Knuckles' chest. Shade knew he was not ready, but circumstances had changed. Angel Island, and the Master Emerald, needed a protector, and Knuckles was all that was remained. Before passing on completely, Shade performed one final incantation, to seal his memories within his mark, not to be reawakened until his better half revealed themselves and the Knuckles clan to be restored anew. It was a risky condition, but after all, he was said to be destined for great things, wasn't he?

When he awoke, he was alone. With no memory as to what happened to him or his race, Knuckles the Echidna, the last of his clan, took to learning about his home and the responsibility that now lay upon his shoulders. He studied ancient Echidna lore (what little remained), explored every inch of Angel Island, and taught himself how to hunt, fight and survive. At first, the loneliness was staggering and even painful, but as he became older, he became used to it. He had a job to do, and nothing was going to steer him from it. It was all he knew.

Knuckles got what he had always wanted…in exchange for what he already had.

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 _I have to admit...I ran out of inspiration by the end. I knew what I wanted to do, but I was lost in terms of execution. I just hope this made sense. As far as Shade is concerned, I wanted to use her somehow, as she has potential as a character.  
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 _Thank you for reading. If you liked this, check out my other stories and share them._

 _Later!_


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